Dow AgroSciences Advances Corn Seed Performance In The Americas

Fueled by robust investments in global plant breeding programs, Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), has captured a greater share of the North and South American corn seed market. This is the fourth consecutive year of corn share gains in the Americas for Dow AgroSciences.

“Our considerable investments in corn research and development are delivering strong germplasm and trait innovations that corn growers demand,” says Antonio Galindez, president and CEO, Dow AgroSciences. He says farmers are taking notice of the powerful performance and yield-enhancing technology provided by Dow AgroSciences corn hybrids.

“Dow AgroSciences seems to be one of the front runners in the technology scene and helping you get better yields,” says Steve Carroll of Pontiac, Ill., who farms 1,600 acres in the heart of the Corn Belt.

Current-year yield results reinforce the vigor of the company’s comprehensive corn breeding program. Dow AgroSciences hybrids with SmartStax ^® trait technology outyielded competitor hybrids by nearly four bushels per acre in U.S. trials which, at today’s grain prices, translates to a significant boost in potential income for farmers. This was the third season for SmartStax, a corn trait combination developed by Dow AgroSciences that brings growers broad-spectrum insect protection and high-yielding genetics.

“What we’re after at the end of the day is yield. Improved genetics, insect control and reduced refuge – all of those things are components of high yield that SmartStax brings to us,” says Mark Guy, a 3,000-acre farmer from Iowa Falls, Iowa, who planted more than half his acres to Dow AgroSciences hybrids this year.

Water utilization also is top of mind with many growers, particularly after the record-setting drought in the central United States last summer. Dow AgroSciences continues to invest in both native and genetic drought tolerance research, with the goal of building corn hybrids with more consistent yield under moisture stress. Corn hybrids from Dow AgroSciences either matched or exceeded yields of competitive drought-tolerant products in 2012 U.S. trials.

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